The episcopate of Bishop Benson 1877-1883 and the beginnings of Truro diocese and cathedral : the umbrella and the duck
The first Bishop of Truro, Edward White Benson, saw the building of a Cathedral as the centre piece of his vision for Cornwall. The foundation stones were laid in May 1880, only three years after his enthronement. The building itself, the ability to raise money for it in impoverished Cornwall and th...
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ndltd-bl.uk-oai-ethos.bl.uk-5738992015-03-20T04:04:41ZThe episcopate of Bishop Benson 1877-1883 and the beginnings of Truro diocese and cathedral : the umbrella and the duckMiller, David GeorgePayton, Philip : Tregidga, Garry2012The first Bishop of Truro, Edward White Benson, saw the building of a Cathedral as the centre piece of his vision for Cornwall. The foundation stones were laid in May 1880, only three years after his enthronement. The building itself, the ability to raise money for it in impoverished Cornwall and the use of Cathedral Canons for training, education and mission for the whole diocese were intended to inspire faith and make the Cathedral the mother church for all Christians in Cornwall. The Cathedral revived an imagined vibrant medieval Church in Cornwall, some of whose saints were named in the Canons’ stalls and whose bishops, Benson believed, were his predecessors. Benson failed to unify Cornish people around this vision. Methodism was far too strong in Cornwall and remained so for many decades after he left Cornwall in 1883 to become Archbishop of Canterbury. Here Benson was no more successful implementing the vision on a wider stage. The state, not the church, became the umbrella organisation that started to reach everyone at local and national level. Nevertheless, Anglicanism in Cornwall did revive in Benson’s time and disagreements between Anglicans over styles of worship and other matters were partially sorted out by Benson, both as Bishop of Truro and as Archbishop of Canterbury. Benson’s interest in history further encouraged Cornwall’s interest in its Celtic past. An increasingly pluralistic culture enabled a reviving Anglicanism to take its place alongside Methodism in Cornwall, without ever coming close to replacing it. Shortly before Benson arrived in Cornwall, a Baptist minister suggested that the sturdy non-conformist people of Cornwall needed a Bishop no more than a duck needed an umbrella. Cornish people appreciated Bishop Benson and the Cathedral he helped to inspire. By and large they chose not to shelter under the umbrella of the Church of England. In the words of Edward Fish in a letter to the Royal Cornwall Gazette published on the 5 January 1877: “Looking around on this great Non-conformist county we did not need a bishop any more than a duck needs an umbrella. My statement as a Non-conformist is this, and I do but echo the opinion of thousands in the county, we do not need a bishop.”283.423709034Truro cathedral : Bishop Benson : 19th century church historyUniversity of Exeterhttp://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.573899http://hdl.handle.net/10036/4003Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
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283.423709034 Truro cathedral : Bishop Benson : 19th century church history |
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283.423709034 Truro cathedral : Bishop Benson : 19th century church history Miller, David George The episcopate of Bishop Benson 1877-1883 and the beginnings of Truro diocese and cathedral : the umbrella and the duck |
description |
The first Bishop of Truro, Edward White Benson, saw the building of a Cathedral as the centre piece of his vision for Cornwall. The foundation stones were laid in May 1880, only three years after his enthronement. The building itself, the ability to raise money for it in impoverished Cornwall and the use of Cathedral Canons for training, education and mission for the whole diocese were intended to inspire faith and make the Cathedral the mother church for all Christians in Cornwall. The Cathedral revived an imagined vibrant medieval Church in Cornwall, some of whose saints were named in the Canons’ stalls and whose bishops, Benson believed, were his predecessors. Benson failed to unify Cornish people around this vision. Methodism was far too strong in Cornwall and remained so for many decades after he left Cornwall in 1883 to become Archbishop of Canterbury. Here Benson was no more successful implementing the vision on a wider stage. The state, not the church, became the umbrella organisation that started to reach everyone at local and national level. Nevertheless, Anglicanism in Cornwall did revive in Benson’s time and disagreements between Anglicans over styles of worship and other matters were partially sorted out by Benson, both as Bishop of Truro and as Archbishop of Canterbury. Benson’s interest in history further encouraged Cornwall’s interest in its Celtic past. An increasingly pluralistic culture enabled a reviving Anglicanism to take its place alongside Methodism in Cornwall, without ever coming close to replacing it. Shortly before Benson arrived in Cornwall, a Baptist minister suggested that the sturdy non-conformist people of Cornwall needed a Bishop no more than a duck needed an umbrella. Cornish people appreciated Bishop Benson and the Cathedral he helped to inspire. By and large they chose not to shelter under the umbrella of the Church of England. In the words of Edward Fish in a letter to the Royal Cornwall Gazette published on the 5 January 1877: “Looking around on this great Non-conformist county we did not need a bishop any more than a duck needs an umbrella. My statement as a Non-conformist is this, and I do but echo the opinion of thousands in the county, we do not need a bishop.” |
author2 |
Payton, Philip : Tregidga, Garry |
author_facet |
Payton, Philip : Tregidga, Garry Miller, David George |
author |
Miller, David George |
author_sort |
Miller, David George |
title |
The episcopate of Bishop Benson 1877-1883 and the beginnings of Truro diocese and cathedral : the umbrella and the duck |
title_short |
The episcopate of Bishop Benson 1877-1883 and the beginnings of Truro diocese and cathedral : the umbrella and the duck |
title_full |
The episcopate of Bishop Benson 1877-1883 and the beginnings of Truro diocese and cathedral : the umbrella and the duck |
title_fullStr |
The episcopate of Bishop Benson 1877-1883 and the beginnings of Truro diocese and cathedral : the umbrella and the duck |
title_full_unstemmed |
The episcopate of Bishop Benson 1877-1883 and the beginnings of Truro diocese and cathedral : the umbrella and the duck |
title_sort |
episcopate of bishop benson 1877-1883 and the beginnings of truro diocese and cathedral : the umbrella and the duck |
publisher |
University of Exeter |
publishDate |
2012 |
url |
http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.573899 |
work_keys_str_mv |
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